NATO Bombing
Did Not Keep the American Charity
from Marrying the Russian Roma
By Elena Smirnova
Translated by Ron Pope & Oxana Ustinova

On the 4th of July friends
celebrated U.S. Independence Day and the seventh anniversary of the
American home in Vladimir. On this occasion, its owner, professor
Ronald Pope, arrived in Russia with his family: his wife, Susan, his
brother, Terry, his sister, Kathy, her two children, and his father.
(The home would simply not exist without the support of the 82 year
old Russell, a former television engineer, who invested $100,000 in
its construction.)

After partaking of the
beauty of Vladimir and Suzdal, the family enjoyed the hospitality
of the K. Libknekht orphanage whose children were resting at a summer
camp just outside the city. Each child received a stuffed toy and
a packet of candy, as well as shoes and clothes (some of which were
sewn by an elderly woman after she learned of the humanitarian mission
of the Pope family.)

The Children's Emergency
Hospital, having already received in the spring some American medical
equipment (bedside monitors and a respirator), this time was given
a mini video camera for viewing internal organs and another respirator.

In return, the elder Pope
was given as a thank you by the Russians a hunting knife in a decorated
box. Russell responded to this gift of a sharp weapon, as tradition
requires, by paying one ruble.

The reception on the green
lawn at the home is the traditional end of the language program's
academic year, where most recently 250 people were studying. The year
was difficult. To begin with, there was the discussion in the press
initiated by leftists concerning the need to move the building from
the center of Vladimir to the outskirts, then the machinations of
local nationalists who broke lamps and windows and disfigured the
home's walls with stupid graffiti.

"When this occurred,
we were gloomy for the first hour," said Alexei Altonen, the
director of the Home's non-commercial programs. "But when I was
cleaning off the graffiti, dozens of passersby of different social
status and different nationalities took it upon themselves to express
their indignation at this hooligan act and to voice their support
for the American home."*

In any case, this style
of politics was not able to interfere with the happiness of Roman
Ryabinkin and Charity Trelease. A month earlier the employee of the
American home and the teacher in the English program were married.
On the holiday they kissed and danced in their own world.

*NOTE: In addition to "passersby,"
all the Vladimir media, including TV and radio, strongly condemned
the acts of vandalism, as did the overwhelming majority of the Vladimir
City Council and others. One of the good things to come out of this
is that we now know how wide spread and strong the support from the
community is for our activities. Also, thanks to the considerable
press coverage all this received, the general public knows a great
deal more about what we are doing--and not just those who are directly
benefiting, such as the more than 2,000 who have taken one or more
of our English classes since the program began in fall 1992. RP